Dust That Doesn't Settle
by Shiroyuki Nomaeru
Summary: {Code Geass} On a particularly... black night, in a world after Requiem, Lelouch fulfils completely, the terms of his contract with C.C.. [Lelouch x C.C.] [Rating: MA] [Lemon] [Smut] [One-Shot}. I wrote this one-shot during a particularly scenic night spent in a rural village; very emotional after finishing R2—listening to 'Kawaranai Mono by Raon Lee'—ended up writing... too much.


**Dust That Doesn't Settle**

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**_Shiroyuki Holoyouko Nomaeru_**

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'Fate is… cruel indeed.' So thought Lelouch, in his extended (and all too common) moments of solitude. For one who had moulded the future of the world so extensively, he now spent an inordinately large portion of his time thinking of days past. Contrary to taking part in (the rather momentous) events of the present age, Lelouch spent his long years on the move, working hard only to avoid hard work. Power no longer appealed to him as it once had; Lelouch had come to believe that it, and existence in of itself for that matter, mattered little, if at all. Chains unseen bound one and all; destiny was set in stone, for one was 'free' to choose, but said 'choices' were nothing if not predetermined…

…Or so he chose to believe, because believing otherwise would be... much too painful. 'At the very least… there are no right choices.' Lelouch had already lost most that that was dear to him: those he had killed... those who were alive no more... and those who lived yet—but were forever lost to him all the same. He could no longer be Zero... or Lelouch for that matter. His mortal self was dead to the world. There was… simply no place for him here… anywhere. Perhaps keeping with his 'elevated' state and its accompanying tradition, he should now choose to be... R.R. (A.N.: This story was written much before R3, so I used R.R.—Rerouch Ramperouge, I'd rather not get into the Japanese of r, v, and l sounds.)

The grey shadows of his past still whispered to him in his solitude. Warm memories of his past flashed by: Nunally, Suzaku, Kallen, Shirley… Euphemia… Roloh…. Tears threatened arrival, but theirs was a dismally empty threat, for his tears had long since run out. Lelouch once again realized he was starting to forget precise details—moments he was sure he had treasured—but could remember no longer. His soul—or whatever was left of it—ached for any semblance of his old life: for just a few more days with his friends, a few more laughs; the raw emotion of it all. The pain, the anger, the hate, the thrill, the excitement, the highs, the lows, the grief, and the love… very little of that was left. There was little motivation to do most anything. And mostly nothing was what he did. Often, he had thought about ending it all… but alas, that was not to be. 'Fate is… painful indeed.'

Almost as if sensing his familiar melancholy, it seemed nature took pity on him and sent forth an icy, harsh wind to jolt him out of his sordid stupor. But even as it blew through the frozen valleys of the proud mountains of, through the whistling night sky, through the vast canopy of rustling trees, through the dancing wheat fields, and into the small window of an isolated, decrepit, nondescript cottage, Lelouch found it to be carrying nothing but sorrow, devoid of any solace. Perhaps someone else out there was in greater need of its warmth; someone who deserved it more. Lelouch… could endure. Lelouch… would live.

The scent of damp wood, wild grass, rotting leaves, and rich soil permeated the cool atmosphere as he wondered where this sadness had come from. Was it even the pain of the present? Or was it from ages past? After all, there was surely in there, pain he had caused; by his countless crimes… crimes that would never be absolved… crimes there was no forgiveness for. He decided its origin mattered little, for he could bear it all on his shoulders. He had to––of that he was certain. He had eternity ahead of him… and that was how it should be. "Fate is… fair indeed."

Lelouch had never been one to seek out company, nor had he particularly sought out solitude. However, this isolation from society had changed Lelouch in strange ways; he had spent far too much time with only himself for company, and a worse influence for him existed not. His morbid (?) and ever-growing (?) understanding of the underpinnings of the cosmos and idiosyncrasies of man evinced as much. In his early days—an unchanging, monotonous stretch of life—he had contemplated ending it all quite often. He had felt more alive thinking of the worlds he created inside his own head, than in the real one. However, Lelouch had persevered: he had promised to himself… to live… live until he found a reason to live. And now he had found… well… her.

Perhaps it was his brain's way of coping with the pain: simply shutting down. He wondered, not for the first time, whether the new world he had created was worth the steep price he had paid for it. After all he had done, had he any claim to peace? Did such a thing even exist? Lelouch's thoughts tended to become less and less focused the more he exercised them. Worthless thoughts like these had led him to only one conclusion: he wanted something genuine. And now he had found… her. His only salvation. One person whom he hadn't lost. One person who was worth living for. Only her... only C.C..

Memories of the woman he had come to love soothed him in these silent, hopeless moments. She was, after all, the only reason he found life tolerable. The only reason why his sanity had not yet abandoned him (?). She had, after all, endured much... much more than him––and somehow continued doing so by his side. Remembering how inconsequential his suffering was against the vast, unrelenting, and indiscriminate tragedy her life had been, caused a persistent, dull ache in his heart. It was only that pain that mattered now. It alone seemed to make him human; the desire to see her, to hear her voice, to know her thoughts, to see her smile, to feel her warmth, to never let her be hurt again, to burn down the world if it—power surged and a sharp pain flashed in his eyes—no… no… surely not... he would have to control that particular desire.

A particularly cold gust of wind brushed past him, forcing him to close his eyes, and only then did he realize that a solitary tear streaked along his face. Gently, Lelouch reached out to touch it… to convince himself it was actually there. And so it was. 'Well this is… unexpected… maybe–,' he thought, '–A very familiar, soothing scent found its way to him with the wind. His heart ached, ever so painfully reminding him of all that he had denied himself. She had returned. At last. Upon realizing this, his heart almost seemed to stop, and he almost forgot to breathe. 'She is back' he thought. The thoughts weighing down his soul eased as he realized this. This time, for a much, much different reason… a second tear joined the first.

Without her, Lelouch would have been lost, in more ways than one. But as long as C.C. was at his side, he would endure. After all, with her by his side, the starry night sky did not feel quite as harsh as before... the cicada's cries lost their accusing hostility... the flowing steams were tainted not a shade of red… the rustling of grass was no longer a lamentation of the dead... and the night breeze no longer seemed to harbour ill intentions.

*****

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"Lelouch—", a sudden, drawn-out voice rang. The sound of her voice alone always managed to lift his mood. It made the night appear much brighter to Lelouch. His familiar monotony was—as it so often was now—broken by C.C.. He felt he had no right to object to his own punishment, but fate had been… far too cruel to her. C.C. continued, "Why are you up here?" "Is something the matter Lelouch?" It would have been much too difficult to admit that in her absence, he had spent most of his time thinking about her return, preparing to tell her how he felt about her… and then seeking out the faint traces of her alluring scent that resided in her room still. Lelouch considered speaking his mind for a moment, but remembering that he himself understood little of all he felt, abandoned such ambitious attempts. "I was just… admiring the view from your room up here C.C. It is especially quiet tonight—in fact—the night seems to be mourning." A sad hint of a smile traced C.C.'s feline features. Although she fared better than he did after the time of Requiem, this was only because she had become used to a lot of turnover throughout the vast, coruscating stretches of time she had traversed. Time passed in strange ways for her. Looking back, she found she remembered little of it; looking forward, she knew eternity still lay ahead. By the prolonged act of living itself, sadness had piled up here and there. Now, with little else in her worn out heart, she too felt heavily, the hefty weight the wind carried. "How fared your search?" Lelouch inquired. "Successful." she replied. "That is… fortunate—" "—Indeed?" Lelouch managed the faintest of smiles before his face returned to its familiar, forlorn expression, morphing then into one more complicated as Lelouch steeled his resolve for the task ahead. War and bloodshed were no strangers to him, but a different courage was required of him now.

The question that had gone unasked for quite a while now, lurking perpetually in her innermost thoughts, came unbidden to her lips as she pondered Lelouch's discomfort-ridden face, "Lelouch, do you believe I was selfish?" she inquired in a soft tone. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had asked. Lelouch too, was caught off guard. "Well… I would say so—but when exactly?" he inquired in a confused tone. "When I offered you my contract, and accepted yours; to fulfil my one wish; to grant me death?" Lelouch closed his eyes and took a moment. He needed her to know… know how much she was worth… at least to him. "Well, I seem to remember our contract was that I was to fulfil your one wish, in return for the power you gifted me."

C.C.'s voice lost its softness as she countered, "I gave you no gift. I cursed you with this this power. I led you to this path. You lost everything because of me. You should hate me." She closed her eyes and turned away from Lelouch. C.C.'s indifferent facade started to crumble as the centuries of pain caged within the recesses of her fractured heart seeped out of its own accord, threatening to break its ancient vessel. She turned to Lelouch and said, "And you came to know soon enough that I wished for release. You knew I longed to escape this world, to finally be at—" "—C.C., enough! Do you not remember I chose this path myself? Do you forget that I had chosen the path of blood long before I ever met you? Those who deem to walk this treacherous path must always dig their own graves first. My life before you was… nothing. I was crumbling… I had aspirations, but not much else. But then you came… and you gave me the power to change everything. You… you changed everything." C.C.—for all her wit, wisdom and age—let her tears fall freely, sparkling like diamonds in the moonlight. "But I… I condemned to this terrible fate. I deceived you! And yet you—" "—You may have committed many vices in the ages you have endured, and led others to terrible fates just to spare yourself some of the anguish. You… just didn't want to be lonely. But do not presume that you forced me against my will. I may not have lived as long, or suffered as much as you have; but my sins are greater even than yours—and my punishment must too—be as such."

C.C. felt her breaking point approaching. She couldn't harden heart anymore and turn away from the pain life had brought her. It had been far too long... far too much. Afraid she would finally give in; she screwed up her eyes and turned away from Lelouch.

Afraid that he had hurt the only person whom he hadn't lost, Lelouch, realizing that his 'confession' had not quite gotten across, confessed more openly. "C.C. I have eternity left to live, but little left to live for. So I chose you C.C., even as your long journey led you to me. I realized it when I accomplished my task—when I destroyed the world and created a new one—what my heart truly contained. What I truly desired. I… I fulfil my end of our contract C.C.; I grant your one true wish: your desire to be truly loved."

C.C.'s heart skipped a beat, and then another—and then throbbed harder than ever before. Her body heated up from its core and flamed the passion within her burning—yet healing—heart. The ember she had constantly tried to tame before; the fire it had become with time; morphed now into an inferno that started to burn away at the edges of pain from ages past. This feeling… was new. This feeling… was frightening. This feeling… was thrilling. This feeling… was unknown to her, but what she did realize, was that it was the best pain she had ever felt.

Flustered having laid his heart bare, and unable to gauge whether he had hurt the only person he could never bear to lose, Lelouch felt panicked at her teary eyes and seemingly pained expression. He pressed on "C.C., I will keep our promise. I will never again allow you to be in pain alone—never!" "I—"His voice broke and wavered, "I… I'm… I'm saying I…—" "Lelouch." C.C. said in a steady, calming tone, her face a shade of crimson itself now, "Lelouch. I love you."

Overjoyed, but supremely unprepared, he panicked and blurted, "You might be the only one who keeps besting me as such. The world fell before me. But—" "—But?" C.C. teased. "But you... no… what I mean is—" "—Yes?" "I love you C.C.! More than anything I have known, more than everyone I have lost. You are my only light in this world!"

C.C. closed her eyes and chuckled silently, feeling joy so genuine that it seemed almost to scare her after all this time. Her eyes lit up with life, and her tears dried out. She smiled. She had not smiled without reserve for quite a few lifetimes. It was a sight so refreshing and radiant, that it filled a nervous and confused Lelouch with happiness, this jumble of emotions painted his expression an odd colour. Seeing his troubled expression, C.C. laughed. It was a voice more exotic and refreshing than any Lelouch had heard before. It vitalized the torrent of raw emotion within him. He decided, in that very moment, that it was his favourite sound, and he would never tire of hearing it. His vast future suddenly seemed... far from grey and dull. "Fate is... kind indeed."

*****

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The coldest part of the night brought with it a particularly icy gust of wind; this zephyr of fate signalled the moment for their union, which fate seemed now to have determined quite some while ago. In that instant, both of them forgot their pasts—vast or otherwise. Time itself seemed not to exist as they surveyed each other's eyes, souls tangling in a coruscating dance. Their flushed faces—hot and needy—moved ever closer to one another's, until ultimately their lips sealed.

Thoughts of refrain Lelouch discarded completely as he felt C.C.'s warm, tender lips over his own. An innate drive surged within him. He had paid his dues to the world; he chose to believe so, and he would hold himself back no longer. The primal urge to devour his ecstasy—his C.C.—overpowered him. He pushed her back against the cold, brick wall and drove his tongue past her lips, deepening their kiss as their tongues fought and danced simultaneously in irregular patterns. Lelouch plumbed the depths of her sweet, warm mouth quite frantically—pausing only shortly for breath. He felt better than he ever had before—in her warm embrace—and yet he couldn't get enough. He ran his hands through her viridescent, emerald hair to the back of her head, wanting to feel more of her... all of her.

C.C. herself was in heaven, not having known genuine pleasure such as this in all the time she had lived. Her brain—usually very much in command—felt overwhelmed by the warm sensation of Lelouch's firm lips, his heat, and his hard body against her own.

"C.C.." he said in a low, slightly desperate voice "Can I—?" "—Yes." she got out, rather pleadingly herself. Lelouch required no further encouragement. Her needy voice was all it took to unravel the tightly wound coils of his will. He broke their kiss, and slid his hand down her long, silky emerald locks, to the arch of her back. He pulled her against himself, eager to feel more of the warmth of her shapely, slender frame. He ran his hands all over her smooth upper body before looking into C.C.'s eyes, which (already almost closed) blinked in assent. A little anxious, he delicately proceeded to remove her thick overcoat, and unbuttoned her plain white top. It took a frustratingly long time to discard, but the… fruits of his efforts were now quite evident. The sight of C.C.'s lilac periwinkle bra, coupled with the outline of her well-proportioned breasts enticed him further, sending blood gushing to his nether regions.

C.C. reached behind her back to undo her brassiere, but stopped short of removing it, and said in an almost inaudible voice, "You do it." Seeing her uncharacteristically shy expression, Lelouch wasted no time in reaching out to pull off her bra, an act they found to be excessively intimate—and hot. C.C.'s own arousal heightened, and she felt her core dampening as she revealed herself to him.

Rare as it was Lelouch found his brain overwhelmed. Rarer still, he found he did not mind that one bit. Lelouch paused to admire her perfect, elegant mounds before cautiously reaching out to touch them. He marvelled at their firm softness and the rosy pinkness of her stiff nipples. He pressed them ever so slightly; this elicited a soft moan from C.C.. His member painfully erect now, he went on to squeeze her soft flesh harder, rolling his fingers around her erect buds, her moans becoming louder and more frequent all the while. "Lelouch... ah.. Le… oh..." she moaned his name over and over, letting out audible gasps of pleasure. Her moans, Lelouch would soon enough find to be—his second favourite sound.

Feeling her knees becoming weak, C.C. stopped him and breathed heavily. Lelouch made a disgruntled noise, at which she led him to her small bed on the far side of the room. She lay down, turned her rapidly reddening face to the side, and muttered an impatient noise. This encouraged Lelouch to take bolder action. He forayed down her body to her cream trousers, then unbuttoned the front and hooked his fingers in at her waist, before slowly peeling them off to reveal a matching set of mauve panties and pearl white slender legs. He ran his hands along the smooth, unblemished skin of her legs and looked straight into her eyes for any hint of hesitation—but found only a haze of love, lust, and need—before sliding down her panties to reveal her moist, pink folds, below a strip of neatly trimmed, light green hair. Lelouch suddenly felt compelled to say something, but he was far too awed to manage speech.

C.C. in her bare, naked glory glowed in the moonlight with a sheen of sweat; her angelic face flushed red; her sight addicting; her sweet scent intoxicating. She was —in his eyes—beyond what he deserved... beyond perfection. "You are... perfect C.C.."

C.C. blushed furiously at his words, and realized he was still fully clothed. Regaining use of her faculties and revealing a wild, feral expression, she pounced on him—as swiftly and lithely as a cat—pinning him to the soft mattress, easily overcoming his rather weak resistance. She made quick work of the many layers of black to reveal dark grey boxers with a rather large bulge evident. She paused to take in his sexy features; lean and tall with hard, smooth skin and well defined (if not much developed) muscles: a truly striking specimen. She stuttered, "You are... very handsome... as well, Lelouch." Embarrassed, and feeling the blood rising to his face, Lelouch automatically jerked forward and made to sit up. However, C.C. promptly pushed him back down and pulled off his shorts to reveal his prodigious, rock-hard member.

"You don't—" started Lelouch weakly, —but cowered at the look he received from C.C. "I hate stubbornness." The smile never reached his lips. After making sure he wouldn't resist her anymore, she took to exploring him. She started by nibbling on his ears, her hands ruffling his coal-black hair. She moved down and suckled at his neck, lingering on his Adam's apple, at which point he was unable to hold back his groans. C.C. seemed satisfied with how she made him feel, it made her feel... special. She moved downwards, running her hands along his lean shoulders, toned chest and hard stomach. Sliding her lips down him, planting wet kisses, leaving a trail of saliva in her wake.

Lelouch felt as if he was being constantly shocked, with sparks of addictive pleasure electrifying his entire body. His body twitching of its own accord—defenceless. He opened his eyes and beheld a truly magnificent sight: a naked C.C. seated between his legs; with a mischievous smirk on her face, and a dangerous light her eyes. She reached out with her slender, delicate hands and grabbed his painfully erect cock. She marvelled at its hotness, its hardness and its smoothness. She gently ran her fingers along its head, and down its shaft, admiring the rugged texture and pulsating veins, before palming his testicles. Lelouch visibly shuddered at her wonderful ministrations, panting in a hollow breath. C.C. lowered her face and looked him squarely in the eyes, before engulfing the head in her mouth. Lelouch let out a deep, guttural moan as he felt C.C.'s hot, moist mouth enveloping him; his hips quaking as she took in more of him, sucking on the head and swirling her wet, hot tongue all around it. Her wonderfully outstretched lips quivered in a smile at his honest response and she withdrew her mouth, descending to engulf his testicles and suck on his balls, all the while pumping his shaft with her soft palm, cupping his sac with her other hand. "You're—an angel—C.C.." he managed between shivers. "I thought you said I was the devil." she smirked, even as she grazed his sensitive skin with her teeth. "Yeah—that—too!—" Lelouch clutched the bed-sheet, and whimpered as the pleasure became too much for him, the unknown sensations too electrifying. C.C. sensed his impending release and replaced her mouth on his member. She then gave him her most innocent look… and hummed; even as she sucked him as hard she could, hollowing her mouth. The collective stimuli, proved to be too much for Lelouch—unused to the complete euphoria that blanked out his mind—he exploded in her mouth, releasing his hot, thick seed in recurring waves. C.C. in response took his entire length in, into the recesses of her tight throat. Her nose pressed into his dark nether hair, she inhaled his musky scent and ardently swallowed his creamy, voluminous fluids; deigning not to waste a single drop of his salty, tangy essence, and enjoying the effect she had on him—the man whom she loved—he, who conquered the world.

As his release subsided, and his strength returned—unbelieving—he felt compelled to appreciate C.C.. "That was... er... thank you." he said, feeling rather silly at his amateurish acknowledgement. C.C. flashed him a most dazzling smile and replied in a high-pitched voice, "You are most welcome, love." Believing he had gone all wrong about this, and lost... somehow, he attempted to turn the tables on her; he flipped over and pinned her down, whispering in her ear in a husky voice, "I cannot help but feel fair compensation is due."

Lelouch brought his head closer to the crook of her neck and C.C. could feel his hot breath on her spine. Lelouch latched onto her throat and sucked at her sensitive skin. She let out a sharp moan, which, along with her sweet, alluring scent, spurred him on even further. He trailed his tongue up her throat—leaving a string of warm saliva, cooled by the night air in a particularly stimulating fashion—to her ear. He whispered in her ear, "I love you C.C...", and then in the other, "...all of you." and blew warm air directly into her ears before licking them thoroughly with sharp strokes of his tongue. C.C. was assailed by a whirlwind of electrifying emotions even as her moans became incoherent—an invigorating lullaby to Lelouch, who went on to kiss her neck, sucking hard and leaving dark marks. C.C. squealed at his arousing actions, rubbing her thighs together. Taking in her sweaty, erotic visage before him, Lelouch whispered, "You are... my angel C.C.." His words; his love, sent a shock wave rushing through her body, wetting her core even further. It was a pleasure unlike any other; it originated not from physical touch, but from within her heart. It not only pleasured her body, but also thrilled her soul—a thrill she had never felt before. Lelouch relented somewhat, and planted a kiss on her forehead, followed by the tip of her nose, the palms of her hands, her shoulder blades, the valley of her breasts, her navel, the inside of her thighs, and finally the soles of her feet; paying special attention to her lustrous, delicate skin. From every touch of his firm lips, warmth spread throughout her body in a fizzing array of endorphins—her incessant, melodic moans resounding like music in the night. He trailed his long fingers along her inner thighs—nails raking her glossy skin—before rubbing her moist folds and planting a light, sincere kiss on her lower, viridescent hair. "Mmhm" C.C.'s lips trebled as she blushed furiously at his sincere, intimate, and very sensual act. Revelling in delight at the knowledge that he could make his love feel this way, before probing her warm entrance with one hand, while the other played with her breasts. He explored her wet, hot insides, moving his fingers in capricious patterns, before receding to her clitoris and replacing his fingers with his tongue—revolving in a sinuous, pleasurable sequence—even as his skilled digits teased her erect, rosy nipples. He traversed her most intimate parts with his tongue, conveying his love, his lust, and his need for her. C.C.'s body convulsed involuntarily as Lelouch sucked at her clitoris. The extreme pleasure besieged her physical state, sending her over the edge as she came violently—Lelouch wasting no time in lapping up her sweet nectar. Overcome, she collapsed on her back—mumbling a confused mixture of gratitude, prayer and possibly profanity.

C.C.'s eyes found his, where a black blaze of passion burned vehemently.

Lelouch gazed back into hers, where tidal waves of an emerald tsunami crashed vigorously.

Eyes locked, he guided his raging hard member to her inviting, wet entrance. With considerable effort, he breached her most intimate parts and slowly managed to sheath himself within her completely. C.C. let loose a shrill scream as he filled her to her innermost depths. She could feel him, all of him as he wrapped his body around hers. Her velvety walls convulsed around his sizeable girth, feeling every detail of his texture as she milked him, craving his essence. Lelouch found it difficult not to be overcome as he was assaulted by the sensation of C.C.'s velvety, wet, hot walls pleasuring him in their vice grip, tightening and quivering as he sharply thrust in and out of her—ravaging her…claiming her… worshipping her: his goddess. Their loud moans rang loud and far in the night, with naught but nature itself to hear their harmony—a song old as life itself; the song of passion; of wet flesh against flesh; of grunts and groans, forged in the fires of bliss and fuelled by sexual desire. Their indulgence reached its unprecedented height in the darkest time of the black night; their shared euphoria peaked and they could hold themselves back no longer. As one, their orgasms wreaked through their bodies, concurrent tremors intertwining their bare bodies, glistening with sweat.

Utterly content, yet fully spent, drowsiness tugged at them. They disentangled and lay side by side—and suddenly feeling chilly—they pulled up the sheets. Unable to suppress the cascading ocean of emotions within them, they lay together, but were unable to express it either—for words were insufficient to convey all they felt. They just lay together, under the night sky, and appreciated the iridescent spectacle of sparkling stars, strewn across a vast black canvas; for perhaps the stars would be able to say... all they could not. The vivid, prismaticic constellations—having borne witness to their intimacy—expressed an amazing, radiant afterglow that lit up not only the sky, but also the heavens themselves. In that moment—they knew. In that moment—they understood. This was… they were… meant to be.

Lelouch lowered his gaze to find C.C. sleeping peacefully with her arm around his chest and her head rested on his shoulder; a precious, faint smile on her face: one he silently vowed to protect for all eternity. He brushed her hair off her face and breathed in her addicting scent. With thoughts of only her running across the vestiges of his consciousness, he gradually surrendered to—for the first night in many nights—to silent, peaceful slumber. A sing, last thought—or perhaps instinct—was what delivered him to rest: 'Fate is… merciful indeed.'

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*****

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There was the warmth of her delicate form. There was the softness of her skin. There was her dull heartbeat. There was the gentle sound of her breathing. But mostly there was an inexplicable feeling of comfort and reassurance. Only then was there light, as Lelouch slowly opened his eyes to see C.C. sleeping at his side; her face caressed by the golden light of dawn, as if present solely to accentuate her angelic features. She was a vision to behold, upon seeing which, Lelouch's heart gave a brief cry of jubilance. He could not believe she had chosen him, that she would ever return the cascading fire of desire he held for her. What was he after all, when compared to her? In that precise moment, the sun broke through the horizon, to give rise to another day, and with the light of dawn as his witness, Lelouch made a promise; a promise to be better; to give C.C. all he had—all he was worth; to try his best to be the person she deserved—a person better than he.

Perhaps it was an unwise choice, but Lelouch could not resist the urge to streak his fingers through her soft hair and then stroke her warm cheeks. She was just too cute to resist, and the action seemed to soothe his aching limbs—which were after all, not accustomed to rigour he had put them through. "Mmh-nhh", she made soft purring sounds like a cat and gently rubbed her face against his palms. Overwhelmed by her reaction, Lelouch was just about to withdraw his hand when she made a much more distinct "nhnh" sound and opened her eyes, only to say, "That's not fair". And then with a deft motion she grabbed his hand and proceeded to brush it against her face as if determined to rub her scent on him.


End file.
